how does it look like? is it sand from the beach? or maybe aquarium midget ground grit? i've seen it in a petstore but i don't know if my c.insularis won't eat it. i've heard that some collared died from sand because they ate it.. :/ is sand 100% safe as a substrate?
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playsand?
myrenite
Dec 06, 2003 08:30 AM
Replies (10)
skyliner
Dec 06, 2003 09:06 AM
most likely newspaper but thats naff,i cant really think of anyone recently who has had problems with playsand,sone prefer filtersand and i use crushed coral (but im converting back to sand)so i suppose as long as your collareds healthy enough there really shouldnt be any probs
On a side note my geckos are all on playsand and they do eat copious amounts of sand and it passes through easily enough.Hope this helps
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see yah laterz people
jason
eve
Dec 06, 2003 10:19 AM
If you use it,(sand) Buy Washed Playsand, can get 50lb. bags at Home Depot lasts awhile is very clean, and looks nice, I think.
Most of my lizards have been on it for years. Except the very young (babies) they get paper towels for awhile. have a happy weekend, Eve
myrenite
Dec 06, 2003 04:10 PM
but :> what is this playsand? how does it look like? is it normal sand? or something special?
DC
Dec 06, 2003 05:52 PM
...washed sand that is usually from an alluvial deposit or a river bed. The grains tend to be "rounded" somewhat more than "sharp" sands, and the packaged product is more thoroughly washed to remove silts or other dirt than a mason's sand would be. It is usually sold at large Home Improvement Center type stores for use in the kid's sandbox, and comes in 40 or 50 pound bags. There is very little report of gut impactions caused by playsand in collared lizards, but the use of sand is more a convenience for the keepers than a necessity for the lizards. It is cheap and easy to change out, and makes collection of the urate pellets etc. pretty easy. The *most* discriminating Collared Lizard owners sometimes prefer the individually crafted precision of the Pool Filter Sand's sparkling grains for their lizards to poop on ROFL.
DC
DC
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DC
Dec 06, 2003 11:16 AM
...sold as "playsand" in most of my enclosures, but as I remodel them, I will replace it with fake rocky landscapes for all of my collareds, and probably use no "substrate" at all. This will be a bit more difficult to clean, but there will be no more dust or buried urates and shed skin fragments which the lizards constantly churn into the sand. Most species prefer rocky habitats and spend little time on a sandy 'desert floor' type of environment.
DC
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DC
Dec 06, 2003 11:27 AM
...PLEASE post some pictures of your C. insularis!! Not very often seen on the forum.
DC
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Brockn
Dec 06, 2003 10:17 PM
...that this is actually a specimen of Crotaphytus insularis, a separate species native only to Angel de la Guardia Island in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Much more likely is that we're talking about a C. bicinctores or C. vestigium here, which several (now outdated) field guides refer to as "C. insularis bicinctores" and "C. insularis vestigium", respectively.
Brock
DC
Dec 07, 2003 12:57 PM
...a picture, 'cept I was trying to be diplomatic about it LOL.
DC
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Brockn
Dec 07, 2003 10:41 PM
I sort of figured that was the intent of your question. With the continued (mis)use of the term "insularis" in field guides, on various websites, etc., it's understandable how almost anyone could be misled. Guess I just felt compelled to try and educate folks on what REALLY constitutes a C. insularis...
Brock
myrenite
Dec 09, 2003 09:58 AM
well.. i'm sorry if i wrote wrong that my collared is c.insularis but it was told so in a petstore.. have a look at this photo and maybe i will finally know what is running in my terraium and in my flat http://podly.eu.org/kropek/DSCF0129.JPG
